Watching for riders

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, a national project to encourage vehicles and motorcyclists to “share the road” with each other.

Motorcycle fatalities represent 14% of total highway deaths annually, despite motorcycle registrations representing only about 3% of all vehicles in the United States. Improving cooperation between all road users and motorcyclists will help to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on our nation’s highways.

The Oregon Department of Transportation reminds drivers of cars, trucks and buses to look out for motorcycle riders, and offers these safety tips for drivers:

Allow a motorcyclist the full lane width—never try to share a lane.
Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections. (This goes for bicycles, too).
Signal before changing lanes or merging with traffic.
Allow more following distance, three or four seconds, when following a motorcycle.

About 50% of Oregon motorcycle fatalities are single-vehicle, so motorcyclists have responsibilities, too. Obeying the same traffic laws as other motor vehicles, never riding while impaired, and always wearing a helmet can go a long way towards a safe ride.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re on four wheels or two; we all have to do our part to share the road safely,” said Michele O’Leary, Motorcycle Safety Program manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

About the Author

Tom D'Amore is the founder of D'Amore Law Group and a trial attorney with over 30 years of experience representing injured people and their families across the West Coast, securing more than $325 million in recoveries. He handles cases involving car accidents, trucking accidents, construction injuries, medical malpractice, and sexual abuse. Licensed in Oregon, Washington, and California, Tom is the only NBTA board-certified truck accident attorney in Oregon. He is a national Board of Governors member, past Executive Committee member, and past Budget and Audit Chair of the American Association for Justice, as well as past President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and an Eagle member of the Washington State Association for Justice.